The C2C Sit Down with Mackenzie Carpenter
Rising Country singer/songwriter Mackenzie Carpenter is set to release her highly anticipated debut album “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” this Friday (March 7th) via The Valory Music Co. Co-penning all 13 tracks on the new project, Carpenter gives fans a deeper view of her multi-dimensional talents while paying homage to the beloved Country Queens that paved the way for her to speak her mind, write her truth and have some fun along the way.
The Georgia native was named in 2023 by CMT as part of their Next Women of Country class which also included Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Avery Anna, Carter Faith, Catie Offerman, Georgia Webster and her good friend Megan Moroney, who she has not just spent time on the road with but also co-wrote a number of tracks across Moroney’s first two records including the platinum selling “I’m Not Pretty”.
Just a week after the release of “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” Carpenter will head across the pond for the first time where she will be performing at C2C: Country to Country in London across the weekend of March 14th to 16th which she was very excited about when we recently spoke to Mackenzie over Zoom.
Hey Mackenzie, how are you doing? Thanks for taking the time to chat with us all this morning.
“I’m good, thank you for taking the time.”
No worries at all, it’s an exciting time for you because of the record which we will talk about but also you’re little trip coming up where you are heading over to see us.
“I’m so excited, I’ve never been over there before.”
What have you heard about the UK as a market and the audiences over here from people that have been here before?
“You know, I've heard that they're just one of the best audiences around. Like it's a way different environment because it's a very attentive audience so I'm really intrigued to see and to feel the difference.”
Then about the festival itself, what are you expecting from C2C compared to other things you've been a part of back at home?
“You know, just like a new experience, I feel like I haven't really been a part of an indoor show this large, then all of the different people and the different stages. Like I really don't even know what to expect, I can't even picture it, it's crazy.”
Obviously, you know it's a “work trip” as such in the fact that you've got a record that will have just come out but are you actually going to have some time to explore London rather than it just being a get in, play the shows, follow some feet and head home type thing?
“Yeah, we'll have a bit of time and Lauren Watkins went over last year, I'm good friends with her and her manager is actually like my best friend so I've been asking her for recommendations and if you have any, go shoot them my way. I'm not good at geography so I need to like look into it a little bit more, plan out where I'm going be and where I can actually go, because it's easy to just find a cool place and then you're like, oh, that's like five hours away, you aren't actually going to be able to get there.”
I know I live here, but compared to other cities, I think London's quite easy to get around with how the tube and everything works. The big thing for you guys when you come over seems to be Indian food and curry, which is according to the internet, is now actually our national dish.
“Hey, that's a new fun fact that I'm learning. I think I have to go to the Palace too.”
The Georgia native was named in 2023 by CMT as part of their Next Women of Country class which also included Alana Springsteen, Ashley Cooke, Avery Anna, Carter Faith, Catie Offerman, Georgia Webster and her good friend Megan Moroney, who she has not just spent time on the road with but also co-wrote a number of tracks across Moroney’s first two records including the platinum selling “I’m Not Pretty”.
Just a week after the release of “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” Carpenter will head across the pond for the first time where she will be performing at C2C: Country to Country in London across the weekend of March 14th to 16th which she was very excited about when we recently spoke to Mackenzie over Zoom.
Hey Mackenzie, how are you doing? Thanks for taking the time to chat with us all this morning.
“I’m good, thank you for taking the time.”
No worries at all, it’s an exciting time for you because of the record which we will talk about but also you’re little trip coming up where you are heading over to see us.
“I’m so excited, I’ve never been over there before.”
What have you heard about the UK as a market and the audiences over here from people that have been here before?
“You know, I've heard that they're just one of the best audiences around. Like it's a way different environment because it's a very attentive audience so I'm really intrigued to see and to feel the difference.”
Then about the festival itself, what are you expecting from C2C compared to other things you've been a part of back at home?
“You know, just like a new experience, I feel like I haven't really been a part of an indoor show this large, then all of the different people and the different stages. Like I really don't even know what to expect, I can't even picture it, it's crazy.”
Obviously, you know it's a “work trip” as such in the fact that you've got a record that will have just come out but are you actually going to have some time to explore London rather than it just being a get in, play the shows, follow some feet and head home type thing?
“Yeah, we'll have a bit of time and Lauren Watkins went over last year, I'm good friends with her and her manager is actually like my best friend so I've been asking her for recommendations and if you have any, go shoot them my way. I'm not good at geography so I need to like look into it a little bit more, plan out where I'm going be and where I can actually go, because it's easy to just find a cool place and then you're like, oh, that's like five hours away, you aren't actually going to be able to get there.”
I know I live here, but compared to other cities, I think London's quite easy to get around with how the tube and everything works. The big thing for you guys when you come over seems to be Indian food and curry, which is according to the internet, is now actually our national dish.
“Hey, that's a new fun fact that I'm learning. I think I have to go to the Palace too.”
I think that’s a must for everyone and I hope you really enjoy your time over here. One of the reasons you're coming over is because the week before the festival, you've got something else happening that's very exciting with the album dropping. Although you've put out EPs and things before this is your debut record, so it's your first chance to really say hi, I'm Mackenzie Carpenter, this is who I am. That’s what a debut record is, it’s your life’s work so far which really tells people who you are. When people listen to “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” what do you want people to take away from it, what is it you hope people are going to learn and realise about you?
“I hope that people will take the time to really dig into the songs and the lyrics because I really love writing songs and trying to come up with new things that you haven't heard before or are relatable typical things in a new light. I hope that they'll take the time to really dig into these songs lyrically and then just overall, just feel like they know me. It's a really relatable record with songs all over the map so, if they didn't know me before, after I say, “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” come and listen to my record, hopefully you get a glimpse of all these different pieces of me and you realize that they’re also a lot of pieces of you.”
What you said about the songwriting definitely comes through but also sonically there is a lot of influence that hear across the record. “Sound Of A Heartbreak” has a more rockier vibe, then you've got kind of more traditional country type songs, along with some R&B and pop elements through the record. I guess one of the things you wanted to do with this record was to sort of show everything that has influenced you and not the country queens such as the women that have paved the way in country music for all you girls.
“Yeah, I think that when I was compiling this and going through the whole process, I was thinking about the way that I consume music, how I listen to music, the playlists that I make, the songs I play in the car and I am jumping all over. I'm going from like Y2K country to modern pop country to R&B to pop and like all these different sounds. So, I thought it would be really cool if my record could kind of feel that way.”
“Country Queen” is the last song on the record, and obviously that's where the title was kind of built from. Was that kind of an idea you had when you were working towards the project or was it just that once you had a bunch of songs that this was what tied them together?
“I kind of had this this list of songs and I was like, I don't know if I have an album title in here. I literally spent a few days going through each song, writing out the lyrics and finding phrases that I felt like resonated with me and resonated with a bigger idea. I just kept coming back to the song “Country Queen” as just kind of like the glue of the record. We ended up titling it “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” and I then felt like that was a brand that, like you said the country queens in music that have come before me, the country queens in my family and my life, like my grandmothers, my mom, my aunts, all of those ladies that raised me and made me who I am and the country queens that are all my best friends that I'm doing life with right now. It's just like such a community and I think that song is a picture of that community which literally ends with kind of a gang vocal that says it's gonna be, gonna be all right, gonna be, gonna be all right. With everything going on, that’s what I kind of wanted the last line, the sentiment of the record to give off.”
The focus track at the moment, is your collaboration with those naughty boys from Texas. I know, obviously, there's a label link between you and the guys but with “I Wish You Would” as a song, when you were writing it, did you all have the idea of it being a collaboration having a male voice on it with you and what was it about Mark (Wystrach) and the Midland guys that you thought made a good fit for the sound of that song?
“I hope that people will take the time to really dig into the songs and the lyrics because I really love writing songs and trying to come up with new things that you haven't heard before or are relatable typical things in a new light. I hope that they'll take the time to really dig into these songs lyrically and then just overall, just feel like they know me. It's a really relatable record with songs all over the map so, if they didn't know me before, after I say, “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” come and listen to my record, hopefully you get a glimpse of all these different pieces of me and you realize that they’re also a lot of pieces of you.”
What you said about the songwriting definitely comes through but also sonically there is a lot of influence that hear across the record. “Sound Of A Heartbreak” has a more rockier vibe, then you've got kind of more traditional country type songs, along with some R&B and pop elements through the record. I guess one of the things you wanted to do with this record was to sort of show everything that has influenced you and not the country queens such as the women that have paved the way in country music for all you girls.
“Yeah, I think that when I was compiling this and going through the whole process, I was thinking about the way that I consume music, how I listen to music, the playlists that I make, the songs I play in the car and I am jumping all over. I'm going from like Y2K country to modern pop country to R&B to pop and like all these different sounds. So, I thought it would be really cool if my record could kind of feel that way.”
“Country Queen” is the last song on the record, and obviously that's where the title was kind of built from. Was that kind of an idea you had when you were working towards the project or was it just that once you had a bunch of songs that this was what tied them together?
“I kind of had this this list of songs and I was like, I don't know if I have an album title in here. I literally spent a few days going through each song, writing out the lyrics and finding phrases that I felt like resonated with me and resonated with a bigger idea. I just kept coming back to the song “Country Queen” as just kind of like the glue of the record. We ended up titling it “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” and I then felt like that was a brand that, like you said the country queens in music that have come before me, the country queens in my family and my life, like my grandmothers, my mom, my aunts, all of those ladies that raised me and made me who I am and the country queens that are all my best friends that I'm doing life with right now. It's just like such a community and I think that song is a picture of that community which literally ends with kind of a gang vocal that says it's gonna be, gonna be all right, gonna be, gonna be all right. With everything going on, that’s what I kind of wanted the last line, the sentiment of the record to give off.”
The focus track at the moment, is your collaboration with those naughty boys from Texas. I know, obviously, there's a label link between you and the guys but with “I Wish You Would” as a song, when you were writing it, did you all have the idea of it being a collaboration having a male voice on it with you and what was it about Mark (Wystrach) and the Midland guys that you thought made a good fit for the sound of that song?
I wrote it with Jonathan Hutcherson, Jamie Moore and Chris Tompkins. Jonathan is another artist writer and so we purposefully wrote a duet that day, not necessarily knowing if it was a duet for the two of us, but when two artists are in the room, sometimes you're like who are we writing for? So, then we're like, hey, let's just see if we can write a cool duet and we wrote the song that day, we tracked it, the two of us, the demo, and to this day, the vocal that's on the track is my demo vocal from that day because Jamie Moore who produced it, would not let me change it. He was like, it's literally perfect, you can't change it. Me and Jonathan are great friends, great collaborators and we had talked about potentially doing this song together, but it was never quite the right time. I kind of had this vision and them being label mates plus I'm a huge fan of Midland, I felt like it fit their vibe so perfectly and we actually have another sneaky link where Cam from the band’s wife Harper is a creative director and she shot all of my photos and videos for my EP and for my album. I mentioned it to her, I mentioned it to the label team then the guys heard the song and I don't know what everybody had to do to convince them to do the song with me, but they were all in and they have been so much fun to work with. The three of them are so hilarious and you know, we're in two very different stages of our careers, so it's just really fun to get each other's perspective and be collaborators on this one, and I think that it just sounds so good.”
Going through the rest of the record and the way the strategy for releasing projects tends to be now, people will have heard some of the songs before the full album but of the kind of new songs I guess, which people are going to hear the first time when you drop the full thing, the one that I really like is “Guys Like You”. That was one that when I listened through, I thought was really cool with the late night, smoky dive bar type vibe.
Yeah, it's like my “Girl Crush” kind of moment. I’m glad you like that one because I think that's a sneaky one that you have to listen to it a few times because it's so lyrically not what you think it’s going to be. That vibe is something that I'm really falling in love with, I think you hear it in “Don’t Mess With”, “I Wish You Would”, “Guys Like You” and a little bit in “Red Wine Blue” so I'm really falling in love with that vibe and I think this record helped me do that and hone that.”
That song, as well as “Don’t Mess With Exes” and “Dozen Red Flags” were all written with Nicolle (Galyon) and Brandon Hood, then looking through the rest of the track listing there are a couple of others pairs with mutual collaborators. So, were you kind of writing in pockets? Did all three of those songs get written around the same time in the same writing hit?
“They did, it wasn’t like we did a writers retreat and knocked them out but it was in the same space and I think we were collaborating so much at that point that so helpful and helping guide me. Brandon being a producer all over this track, he could help be like, hey, we need to push for this sonically or you kind of already have this so let's look to this kind of sound. Then Nicolle is just a lyrical genius that I literally would bring in my favourite ideas to her because she could help me make them so much better.”
I really like the record and agree about what you said about how our own playlists have variation where there are pop songs, R&B, old country, modern country and so on. We’re looking forward to get to get to hear some of the songs live and I’m sure you will have the best time over here. You will put the record out and when you get on stage in London a week later, there will be people in the crowd who will already know the words to ALL of the songs plus things in your back catalogue which you probably haven’t even performed for a couple of years, will be the BIG hit in their eyes just because of how the radio and music discovery works over here.
“That's such a special culture, I mean it's truly amazing to hear about and I can't wait to experience it.”
Going through the rest of the record and the way the strategy for releasing projects tends to be now, people will have heard some of the songs before the full album but of the kind of new songs I guess, which people are going to hear the first time when you drop the full thing, the one that I really like is “Guys Like You”. That was one that when I listened through, I thought was really cool with the late night, smoky dive bar type vibe.
Yeah, it's like my “Girl Crush” kind of moment. I’m glad you like that one because I think that's a sneaky one that you have to listen to it a few times because it's so lyrically not what you think it’s going to be. That vibe is something that I'm really falling in love with, I think you hear it in “Don’t Mess With”, “I Wish You Would”, “Guys Like You” and a little bit in “Red Wine Blue” so I'm really falling in love with that vibe and I think this record helped me do that and hone that.”
That song, as well as “Don’t Mess With Exes” and “Dozen Red Flags” were all written with Nicolle (Galyon) and Brandon Hood, then looking through the rest of the track listing there are a couple of others pairs with mutual collaborators. So, were you kind of writing in pockets? Did all three of those songs get written around the same time in the same writing hit?
“They did, it wasn’t like we did a writers retreat and knocked them out but it was in the same space and I think we were collaborating so much at that point that so helpful and helping guide me. Brandon being a producer all over this track, he could help be like, hey, we need to push for this sonically or you kind of already have this so let's look to this kind of sound. Then Nicolle is just a lyrical genius that I literally would bring in my favourite ideas to her because she could help me make them so much better.”
I really like the record and agree about what you said about how our own playlists have variation where there are pop songs, R&B, old country, modern country and so on. We’re looking forward to get to get to hear some of the songs live and I’m sure you will have the best time over here. You will put the record out and when you get on stage in London a week later, there will be people in the crowd who will already know the words to ALL of the songs plus things in your back catalogue which you probably haven’t even performed for a couple of years, will be the BIG hit in their eyes just because of how the radio and music discovery works over here.
“That's such a special culture, I mean it's truly amazing to hear about and I can't wait to experience it.”
Just lastly in “Dozen Red Flags” there’s one which you have listed off that puts a cheeky smirk across my face where you have “he cheers for the Vols” as being a massive red flag but what about in NFL terms for you? For me anyone that is cheering for the Eagles is a definite turnoff!
“Well, you’re having a bad time right now!”
As a Cowboys fan, it’s always a bad time now.
“How are you a Cowboys fan?”
I’m just about old enough to remember when we were relevant and Michael Irvin made me fall in love with football then I became an Auburn fan purely based on meeting some Alabama fans on a train and thinking they were THE WORST people on the planet so, I had to pick the team that they hate the most.
“Well, that’s kind of how I feel, no hate to actual Vols fans but I grew up right outside of Athens, Georgia, where UGA is so I quite literally bleed red and I had to throw a little shade for the fun of it. I need to think about my NFL red flag, that would be a great thought.”
In terms of geography, I would guess you naturally grew up a Falcons fan.
“The interesting thing is that whilst I did grow up there, my dad and my brothers were never really Falcons fans. My dad randomly enough is from Ohio but he's a Michigan fan.”
Woah, that’s real treachery and treason there.
“Yeah, sacrilegious almost but he was honestly just a big Tom Brady fan so, growing up my dad was the biggest Patriots fan and then, you know, Tom Brady kind of moved around and all that so now he really just follows Michigan. I need to get caught up on my NFL, like, who am I give my loyalties to? I don't know, I'm all over the place.”
When people move to Nashville, the default is to get behind the Titans which is not ideal because they are one of the few teams that suck more than we do and that is saying something.
“I do love the culture, I gotten to do some collaborations with the Titans, their cheerleaders and stuff. They have such a great culture, a great vibe and just being in the heart of Nashville so, maybe I should turn my allegiance to them.”
This has been really fun and I appreciate you taking the time this morning. Best of luck with the record, I really enjoy it and I'm really looking forward to seeing you in person plus getting to hear some of it live in just a couple of weeks.
HEY COUNTRY QUEEN Track List:
The new album “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” from Mackenzie Carpenter will be released via The Valory Music Co. and is available to pre-save HERE. You can learn more about Mackenzie and find details of any upcoming US dates on her WEBSITE or you can follow her socially to keep up with all that she is up to on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
“Well, you’re having a bad time right now!”
As a Cowboys fan, it’s always a bad time now.
“How are you a Cowboys fan?”
I’m just about old enough to remember when we were relevant and Michael Irvin made me fall in love with football then I became an Auburn fan purely based on meeting some Alabama fans on a train and thinking they were THE WORST people on the planet so, I had to pick the team that they hate the most.
“Well, that’s kind of how I feel, no hate to actual Vols fans but I grew up right outside of Athens, Georgia, where UGA is so I quite literally bleed red and I had to throw a little shade for the fun of it. I need to think about my NFL red flag, that would be a great thought.”
In terms of geography, I would guess you naturally grew up a Falcons fan.
“The interesting thing is that whilst I did grow up there, my dad and my brothers were never really Falcons fans. My dad randomly enough is from Ohio but he's a Michigan fan.”
Woah, that’s real treachery and treason there.
“Yeah, sacrilegious almost but he was honestly just a big Tom Brady fan so, growing up my dad was the biggest Patriots fan and then, you know, Tom Brady kind of moved around and all that so now he really just follows Michigan. I need to get caught up on my NFL, like, who am I give my loyalties to? I don't know, I'm all over the place.”
When people move to Nashville, the default is to get behind the Titans which is not ideal because they are one of the few teams that suck more than we do and that is saying something.
“I do love the culture, I gotten to do some collaborations with the Titans, their cheerleaders and stuff. They have such a great culture, a great vibe and just being in the heart of Nashville so, maybe I should turn my allegiance to them.”
This has been really fun and I appreciate you taking the time this morning. Best of luck with the record, I really enjoy it and I'm really looking forward to seeing you in person plus getting to hear some of it live in just a couple of weeks.
HEY COUNTRY QUEEN Track List:
- “Dozen Red Flags” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Nicolle Galyon, Brandon Hood)
- “Boots On” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Rhett Akins, Brandon Hood, Ben Williams)
- “Only Girl” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, Mia Mantia, SJ McDonald)
- “I Wish You Would (ft. Midland)” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Jonathan Hutcherson, Jamie Moore, Chris Tompkins)
- “Don’t Mess With Exes” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Nicolle Galyon, Brandon Hood)
- “Gone Fishin’” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Mia Mantia, SJ McDonald)
- “Red Wine Blue” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Luke Laird, Anna Vaus)
- “Jesus, I’m Jealous” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Steve Moakler)
- “Sound Of A Heartbreak” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Brandon Hood, Liz Rose)
- “Cowgirl Like Me” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, Lauren LaRue)
- “Guys Like You” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Nicolle Galyon, Brandon Hood)
- “The Other Side” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Mia Mantia, SJ McDonald)
- “Country Queen” (Mackenzie Carpenter, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ben Johnson)
The new album “HEY COUNTRY QUEEN” from Mackenzie Carpenter will be released via The Valory Music Co. and is available to pre-save HERE. You can learn more about Mackenzie and find details of any upcoming US dates on her WEBSITE or you can follow her socially to keep up with all that she is up to on INSTAGRAM TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
